Silent Comfort
by kahlshira
Summary: Agents find silent comfort in eachother. Kibbs.


NCIS: Gibbs and Todd

Season: One

Episode: Up to and including Missing

Scene: Missing scene - end of the day in the bullpen

Character POV: Narrator

Special Agent Caitlin Todd walked from the elevator to her desk late into the evening Friday night. Her date Dwayne had left a message earlier in the day saying that he could not make the dinner they had rescheduled repeatedly. Instead, she had gone down to keep Abby company. The bullpen was dark because it was so late everyone else had gone home.

Everyone that is except another Special Agent whom could not break the new habit of spending every waking and sleeping moment thinking about the man who held his people hostage just weeks ago. He sat in the dark at his desk, staring at the many computer screens at his desk, unblinking. He did not hear the junior agent come over from the elevator. If he had looked up, he would have seen her walk around the short cubicle wall, stall when she saw him sitting there, before changing her course to stand behind him to join him in his contemplation.

His military training kicked in just as Agent Todd stepped up behind him. The only register of his knowing the Agent was behind him was the slight shift of his eyes from unfocused, to focus, to unfocused again. He felt safe with the Agent standing there. He understood the woman better than he ever understood any of his three wives. He hoped she felt the same towards him.

That confirmation came when she laid her hand on his shoulder. The shoulder that the bullet went clean through that night the bastard escaped under the cover of tear gas. Her hand lightly squeezed while her thumb rubbed into his shoulder on the backside. She said nothing; instead, she just continued to rub his shoulder.

He drew in a deep breath at this point. His eyes focused again for a brief moment as he let the emotion of companionship settle into his shoulders. He relaxed into his chair slightly without breaking eye contact with the computer screen that flickered faces every few seconds night and day.

The junior Agent placed her other hand on his other shoulder and began to press deeper into the rigid wide shoulders. She did not ask permission and if she had done this during any other part of the day, it would have been her last day in the NCIS building. However, the lights were out, and they were the only two people still on that floor. The cleaning crew had already visited. The two Agents were not going to be disturbed.

She could hardly keep her own eyes open at this point. It had been a long and strenuous week. She did not understand how the Agent could continue this unusual vigilance. She continued to rub the knots out of the shoulders of the man she admired from afar and she could feel him relaxing in a manner she had not seen since that flight in the cargo plane. Tony was right, she thought, he did look peaceful sleeping. She knew she would not be able to leave without ensuring the senior Agent left as well.

Agent Todd stopped her massage and leaned close to her boss's ear. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Agent Gibbs remained rigid for a moment before nodding his affirmation that he was ready to go. He sat forward to turn the power off the monitors while the other Agent moved away from his desk towards her own. He waited until she had gathered her things and put her coat on before walking with her to the elevator. Neither said a word as they waited for the door to open, they remained silent on the descent and even as they walked towards their waiting vehicles.

"Kate," he whispered her name to bring her out of her reverie. She looked over at his tired countenance and down to see that he held his arm out for her to loop her own through. "Hungry?"

She nodded her answer to keep from breaking the peaceful and deliberate silence they had encapsulated themselves in. She was expecting the silver convertible to come rolling up any moment, not his invitation to grab a late night dinner. She smiled slightly and transferred her bag to the other arm to loop her right arm through his left. Together they hailed a cab. The annoying rules were running through both of their heads but they both also concluded that coworkers grabbing a bite to eat did not fall under the dating category.


End file.
